Powers:
Aelfric possessed the Darkhold, which gave him access to great
mystical power granted by Chthon. He could the Grey Death, a fog
of magical energy capable of disintegrating an armored knight and
his steed. He could create magical bonds and summon beings from
other realms to serve him.
His spirit/soul is apparently immortal. Under unknown
circumstances, his spirit could be summoned by one reading the
Darkhold, and he could possess and control the reader. This was
seen to happen when one translated the text of the Darkhold (perhaps
it was a result of reading the entire text?).
Aelfric's physical body was frail and weak, and he described his
legs as crippled--he could walk on them, but could not move very
quickly. Nonetheless, he could survive seemingly mortal wounds,
such as a sword-swipe across the neck. Flames proved sufficient
to destroy his body.

History: Aelfric was originally a monk
serving in the Abbey of St. Michael in 12th Century Spain. He
somehow came under the sway of the Elder God/Demon Chthon, who
directed him to re-gather the dispersed fragments of the Darkhold
(The scrolls had been dispersed by St. Brendan six centuries
before).

(Werewolf by Night I#3(fb)) - By 1149, Aelfric had succeeded
in re-gathering and restoring the scrolls, but his work was
discovered by his fellow monks, and he was recognized as an agent
of Satan. Aelfric took his scrolls and fled, but did not get far
before a soldier struck him down with his sword. However, Aelfric
could not be killed by such means, and he rose to his feet and
obliterated the soldier with a burst of magical force. However,
the townspeople then swarmed over him and he was captured and
burned at the stake. He vowed that his soul would live on and
return to rule evermore!

(Werewolf by Night I#21 (fb) - BTS) - Aelfric's trunk and the
sorcerous items it contained (including the "Werewolf
Rings" )were either not found by the monks or were found but,
for some reason, not destroyed. For eight hundred years the trunk and its contents
passed from person to person until, in the late 20th century, they came into Joshua
Kane's possession.

The scrolls were passed through many hands over
time, and in the 20th Century, they were obtained by Baron Gregor
Russoff. Russoff bound the parchments into book form, and his
reading of the book awakened the hereditary curse of lycanthropy
(werewolf-ism) in him. However, Aelfric proved unable to take
control of Russoff.

(Werewolf by Night I#2-BTS, 3) - Jack Russell brought the
Darkhold, his legacy from his father, to the priest Father Ramon
Joquez to translate (from Latin). Joquez did so, but his summoned
Aelfric's spirit back to the mortal plane. Joquez was on the
phone with Russell, notifying him of his completion when Aelfric
appeared before him. As Aelfric possessed Joquez, his screams of
terror caused Russell to travel to his rectory to help him.
Russell, of course, transformed into the Werewolf during the trip
and arrived to confront the Mad Monk.
Aelfric magically bound the Werewolf to the wall, and then
encountered Lissa Russell, who had followed her brother. Lissa
fainted upon seeing th Mad Monk, who brought her into the rectory
for Chthon only knows what. Recognizing the danger his sister was
in, the Werewolf tore free from his bonds. Aelfric then summoned
Dragonus to protect himself from the Werewolf. However, in the
course of the battle, Dragonus was tripped up by the Werewolf in
mid-lunge, and he was sent careening into Aelfric/Joquez, goring
him. Aelfric's form was cast out of Joquez' body as he lay dying.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway and
Mike Ploog.

The Darkhold was initially thought to have been
written by Jack Russell's father, Baron Gregor Russoff, but this
story clarified it as having been much older. Aelfric was
described as a Satan worshipper, as Chthon had not even been
created as of this story--Chthon showed up in Marvel Chillers
I#1, 1975. Aelfric's original tale made it appear as if Aelfric
himself were the author of the Book of Sins, though it was just a
bunch of scrolls back in the 12th Century.

If Aelfric's soul is immortal, he should be
returning at some point. It's been about 30 years now...if he has
to wait another 800-900 years though, I won't be reading it.
Maybe the Guardians of the Galaxy will run afoul of him in their
future timeline.

Werewolf by Night I#2 featured the goofy cover
blurb, "Like a Wild Beast at Bay,"
as the police attempted to capture him on the docks by the San
Francisco Bay. I've seen this mocked a few times, and I have no
idea if the "pun" was intentional.

CLARIFICATIONS: Aelfric the Mad Monk should not be confused with:

any other mad character

Father Ramon Joquez

Joquez had been a professor at "the
university" (UCLA?), until he quit, becoming more involved
with social issues, speaking out for the people. Classical
languages were his hobby. Buck Cowan had met him in the past, and
he and Russell thought of him when they wished to translate the
Darkhold, in hopes of learning more about Gregor Russoff. Joquez
was more than happy to try his hand at translating the book.
However, upon his completion, he found himself confronted and
then possessed by Aelfric, the Mad Monk. Russell, as the Werewolf, confronted
Joquez/Aelfric, and in the ensuing struggle, Joquez was mortally
wounded. As a result, Aelfric was expelled from his form. As he
lay dying, Joquez asked for forgiveness, for having not known the
evil that truly existed, and thus having failed both himself and
his lord.
--Werewolf by Night I#2 (3